This monsoon, MMS alerts to warn of disaster

The civic body will go high-tech to avert any disaster this monsoon and avoid all forms of miscommunication.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will send MMS alerts to citizens to spread awareness on flood-like situations and water-logged roads. In a bid to leverage the message’s reachability and enhance the communication system, the BMC will explore the third generation (3G) technology.

The Bombay high court had earlier criticised the role of TV channels in airing old pictures and videos during monsoon, which propagate incorrect information and create panic among people. Civic officials claimed that the MMS alerts sent to citizens will aim at eradicating all such possibilities.

SS Shinde, joint municipal commissioner (disaster) said the custom method needs to be modernised to efficiently manage any disaster during monsoon. “The civic body will collaborate with the telecom service providers in the city for this enhanced service. The aim is to boost the information circuit and create awareness among the citizens at the earliest,” Shinde said.

BMC officials added that the purpose of effective communication is rarely met through bulk SMS alerts. “SMS alerts to around one lakh people take over 12 hours. The new method will be quicker and more citizen-friendly,” said a senior BMC official.

BMC is working on improvising the system of custom bulk SMS alerts. Shinde said that they are working on sending lakhs of text messages in a span of half an hour through usage of optical fibres. The BMC’s disaster cell currently relies on hotlines and HAM system to communicate.

Also, language is too a hitch, said the official. Along with English, the civic body will be sending the alerts in Hindi and Marathi. Due to the speed constraints and language, usage of 3G technology is will be adopted.

Implementing 3G will boost the rate at which the information is provided to the people, the official added.

Through the motion pictures, it will be easier for citizens to gauge the gravity of the situation themselves, the official said. The BMC is, meanwhile, finalising the monetary feasibility for the scheme. The MMS will also provide information on traffic jams, tidal information and rainfall intensity. Along with this, the information will be forwarded to the police control room.

However, BMC’s concern is the effective implementation of the service. “Not all citizens have cell phones which are capable of reading messages sent through MMS. Thus, its reliability will not be complete,” added Shinde.